Lack of funding resulting in painful rollbacks: UN Chief Antonio Guterres

Conflicts, climate change and financial turmoil are increasing the need for humanitarian aid, but a lack of funding is resulting in painful rollbacks, the UN chief told a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday looking at how to respond to the crisis.

With 360 million people worldwide in need of humanitarian assistance, up 30 per cent since early 2022, global humanitarian needs have yet again reached record levels.

In a video message to the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, a platform created by the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to find solutions to pressing humanitarian aid issues, Antonio Guterres cited some shocking figures: more than 110 million people have been forced from their homes, while more than 260 million face daily difficulties getting food.

While the figures change, the reasons driving them up do not. The Secretary-General referred to the devastating impact of unresolved conflicts, that "grind on while new wars are launched" and the global economic turmoil triggered by COVID and aggravated by the worldwide impact of the crisis in Ukraine.

Another hostile factor driving up fatalities and displacing millions is climate change, he said.

And as the most vulnerable are hit hardest, "sustainable development - the ultimate prevention tool - has stagnated or gone into reverse," warned Guterres.

Halfway through 2023, the Global Humanitarian Appeal is only 20 per cent funded.

Guterres encouraged meeting participants to consider ways to increase humanitarian resources, deliver aid more efficiently and effectively, to better protect individuals in crises, reduce food insecurity and increase resilience by investing in climate adaptation.

ECOSOC's Humanitarian Affairs Segment brings together UN Member States, UN organisations, humanitarian and development partners, the private sector and affected communities.

They meet each June to discuss how to best tackle the most recent humanitarian concerns and crises.